Weather Records on 17 February 1988

400 weather records were set or tied worldwide on 17 February 1988. Highest significance: Tweespruit, ZA.

Key Facts for 17 February 1988

On 17 February 1988, 400 weather records were set or tied at long-record stations worldwide.
120 were record highs and 60 were record lows, counting maximum and minimum temperature.
By timescale, 2 were all-time records, 18 monthly and 380 daily.
Tweespruit set a daily record precipitation of 68.0 mm (2.7 in) on 17 February 1988.
Across 161 earlier years (1794 to 2026) the same calendar date averaged 499 records.

Record Map

400 stations

400 station records on 17 February 1988 are marked on the map, coloured by record type. Dot size shows the significance score. Made with Natural Earth.

Weather records on 17 February 1988: highest significance records shown on the map
Station	Country	Type	Value	Significance
Tweespruit	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	68.0 mm (2.7 in)	67 of 100 (Major)
Hobhouse 23	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	61.8 mm (2.4 in)	57 of 100 (Notable)
Paardefontein	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	90.0 mm (3.5 in)	55 of 100 (Notable)
Santa Cruz Das Palmeiras	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	110.0 mm (4.3 in)	53 of 100 (Notable)
Doornbosch	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	61.5 mm (2.4 in)	52 of 100 (Notable)
Sterling	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	57.0 mm (2.2 in)	51 of 100 (Notable)
Perdeberg (Sar)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	53.0 mm (2.1 in)	50 of 100 (Notable)
Nueva Esperanza	Mexico	Record high minimum temperature	28.9 C (84.0 F)	49 of 100 (Notable)
Colonia Valle de la Trinidad	Mexico	Record daily precipitation	41.4 mm (1.6 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Kafferrivier (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	39.5 mm (1.6 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Kommissiepoort	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	49.5 mm (1.9 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Convamore	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	46.0 mm (1.8 in)	43 of 100 (Notable)
Westminter Estate	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	58.0 mm (2.3 in)	42 of 100 (Notable)
Kweekwa	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	68.0 mm (2.7 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Castle Rock	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.7 cm (4.2 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Fowler 1 SE	United States	Record daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	41 of 100 (Notable)
Grapevale	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	69.7 mm (2.7 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
Uttaradit	Thailand	Record daily precipitation	56.9 mm (2.2 in)	40 of 100 (Notable)
The Cliff	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	36.5 mm (1.4 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Mt Pleasant	United States	Record daily precipitation	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Soldier Summit	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-25.6 C (-14.1 F)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Encampment 10 ESE	United States	Record snow depth	27.9 cm (11.0 in)	38 of 100 (Notable)
Aughrabies	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	51.0 mm (2.0 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Glen Agr. College,Bfn.	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	33.0 mm (1.3 in)	37 of 100 (Notable)
Cheviot Fells	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	29.5 mm (1.2 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Marydale (Pol)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	39.0 mm (1.5 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Canon City	United States	Record snow depth	12.7 cm (5.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Las Animas	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Osceola	United States	Record daily precipitation	25.4 mm (1.0 in)	36 of 100 (Notable)
Clube de Regatas	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	76.1 mm (3.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Leliekloof	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	79.7 mm (3.1 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Waterland	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	53.0 mm (2.1 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Rocky Ford 2 SE	United States	Record daily snowfall	8.4 cm (3.3 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Jamestown State Hosp	United States	Record snow depth	22.9 cm (9.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Attu	United States	Record low minimum temperature	-13.9 C (7.0 F)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Colorado Springs Muni AP	United States	Record snow depth	15.2 cm (6.0 in)	35 of 100 (Notable)
Sao Caetano Do Sul	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	77.0 mm (3.0 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Mairinque	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	57.5 mm (2.3 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Waterford	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	59.2 mm (2.3 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Sweetwater	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	44.0 mm (1.7 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Sheenspost	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	54.5 mm (2.1 in)	34 of 100 (Routine)
Mafeteng	Lesotho	Record daily precipitation	44.2 mm (1.7 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Groenvlei	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	87.0 mm (3.4 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Roodepoort	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	43.5 mm (1.7 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Tacony 13 SE	United States	Record daily snowfall	11.7 cm (4.6 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Luna Rs	United States	Record snow depth	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	33 of 100 (Routine)
Promissao	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	92.3 mm (3.6 in)	32 of 100 (Routine)
Cape Moreton Lighthouse	Australia	Record low minimum temperature	16.0 C (60.8 F)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Agua Branca	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	129.3 mm (5.1 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Utinga	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	80.5 mm (3.2 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Qacha's Nek	Lesotho	Record daily precipitation	37.0 mm (1.5 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Tuddal	Norway	Record snow depth	150.0 cm (59.1 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Insizwa (Bos)	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	56.8 mm (2.2 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Douglas	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	70.0 mm (2.8 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Luna Rs	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	31 of 100 (Routine)
Cedara	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	26.0 mm (1.0 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Western 2W	United States	Record daily snowfall	10.2 cm (4.0 in)	30 of 100 (Routine)
Santa Branca (Pcd)	Brazil	Record daily precipitation	67.5 mm (2.7 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Villaflores (Smn)	Mexico	Record high minimum temperature	20.6 C (69.1 F)	29 of 100 (Routine)
Idomia	South Africa	Record daily precipitation	28.5 mm (1.1 in)	29 of 100 (Routine)

Counts by Type and Timescale

400 records

Records set or tied on 17 February 1988 by type: Highest daily maximum 68, Lowest daily maximum 22, Highest daily minimum 52, Lowest daily minimum 38, Heaviest daily rainfall 165, Heaviest daily snowfall 24, Deepest snow cover 31.

Records on 17 February 1988 by type
Record type	Records
Highest daily maximum	68
Lowest daily maximum	22
Highest daily minimum	52
Lowest daily minimum	38
Heaviest daily rainfall	165
Heaviest daily snowfall	24
Deepest snow cover	31

Records on 17 February 1988 by timescale: all-time 2, monthly 18, daily 380.

How Much Records Were Beaten By

313 broken records

Margins by which the 313 broken records beat the old ones, in degrees Celsius for temperature and millimetres for precipitation and snow; the largest margin was 279.0. Ties are not counted.

Top 20 by Significance

17 February 1988

Top 20 records on 17 February 1988 by significance
Date	Station	Record	Value	Beat old record by	Old record stood	Significance
17 February 1988	Tweespruit, ZA	daily rain	68.0 mm (2.7 in)	40.3 mm (1.6 in)	73 years	67 of 100 (Major)
17 February 1988	Hobhouse 23, ZA	daily rain	61.8 mm (2.4 in)	48.1 mm (1.9 in)	40 years	57 of 100 (Notable)
17 February 1988	Paardefontein, ZA	monthly rain	90.0 mm (3.5 in)	36.0 mm (1.4 in)	15 years	55 of 100 (Notable)
17 February 1988	Santa Cruz Das Palmeiras, BR	daily rain	110.0 mm (4.3 in)	64.8 mm (2.6 in)	28 years	53 of 100 (Notable)
17 February 1988	Doornbosch, ZA	daily rain	61.5 mm (2.4 in)	43.0 mm (1.7 in)	20 years	52 of 100 (Notable)
17 February 1988	Sterling, ZA	daily rain	57.0 mm (2.2 in)	16.1 mm (0.6 in)	86 years	51 of 100 (Notable)
17 February 1988	Perdeberg (Sar), ZA	daily rain	53.0 mm (2.1 in)	27.6 mm (1.1 in)	64 years	50 of 100 (Notable)
17 February 1988	Nueva Esperanza, MX	daily high min	28.9 C (84.0 F)	8.3 C (14.9 F)	28 years	49 of 100 (Notable)
17 February 1988	Colonia Valle de la Trinidad, MX	daily rain	41.4 mm (1.6 in)	33.8 mm (1.3 in)	16 years	43 of 100 (Notable)
17 February 1988	Kafferrivier (Pol), ZA	daily rain	39.5 mm (1.6 in)	24.3 mm (1.0 in)	64 years	43 of 100 (Notable)
17 February 1988	Kommissiepoort, ZA	daily rain	49.5 mm (1.9 in)	25.6 mm (1.0 in)	49 years	43 of 100 (Notable)
17 February 1988	Convamore, ZA	daily rain	46.0 mm (1.8 in)	25.4 mm (1.0 in)	48 years	43 of 100 (Notable)
17 February 1988	Westminter Estate, ZA	daily rain	58.0 mm (2.3 in)	15.6 mm (0.6 in)	69 years	42 of 100 (Notable)
17 February 1988	Kweekwa, ZA	daily rain	68.0 mm (2.7 in)	38.0 mm (1.5 in)	12 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
17 February 1988	Castle Rock, US	daily snowfall	10.7 cm (4.2 in)	3.1 cm (1.2 in)	90 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
17 February 1988	Fowler 1 SE, US	daily snowfall	7.6 cm (3.0 in)	3.0 cm (1.2 in)	84 years	41 of 100 (Notable)
17 February 1988	Grapevale, ZA	monthly rain	69.7 mm (2.7 in)	2.6 mm (0.10 in)	67 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
17 February 1988	Uttaradit, TH	monthly rain	56.9 mm (2.2 in)	14.0 mm (0.6 in)	35 years	40 of 100 (Notable)
17 February 1988	The Cliff, ZA	daily rain	36.5 mm (1.4 in)	12.1 mm (0.5 in)	70 years	38 of 100 (Notable)
17 February 1988	Mt Pleasant, US	daily rain	50.8 mm (2.0 in)	23.1 mm (0.9 in)	48 years	38 of 100 (Notable)

Significance is a score from 0 to 100 combining margin, the age of the old record and the length of the station's record. How it is computed.

The Same Date in Other Years

1794 to 1988

Records set or tied on this calendar date in each year from 1794 to 1988. 1988 had 400 records.

Counts for years before the ledger starts come from the same station rules.

Records on 02-17 in each year
Year	Records
1794	1
1824	1
1827	1
1843	1
1847	2
1849	1
1850	1
1851	1
1852	1
1855	4
1856	1
1858	1
1859	2
1866	2
1867	3
1869	1
1874	1
1876	2
1878	1
1879	2
1880	1
1883	2
1884	1
1885	4
1887	2
1888	1
1891	1
1892	7
1893	1
1894	1
1895	7
1896	6
1897	1
1898	6
1899	3
1900	6
1901	5
1902	16
1903	22
1904	11
1905	9
1906	10
1907	6
1908	9
1909	10
1910	25
1911	27
1912	19
1913	17
1914	41
1915	17
1916	26
1917	38
1918	64
1919	236
1920	39
1921	182
1922	78
1923	69
1924	252
1925	188
1926	145
1927	377
1928	488
1929	234
1930	367
1931	212
1932	390
1933	164
1934	344
1935	150
1936	1,102
1937	295
1938	529
1939	755
1940	330
1941	166
1942	671
1943	542
1944	462
1945	349
1946	341
1947	274
1948	890
1949	436
1950	469
1951	358
1952	394
1953	369
1954	1,009
1955	721
1956	1,082
1957	252
1958	1,806
1959	575
1960	222
1961	734
1962	397
1963	303
1964	184
1965	332
1966	480
1967	611
1968	350
1969	604
1970	1,050
1971	487
1972	750
1973	821
1974	355
1975	1,035
1976	1,421
1977	650
1978	1,452
1979	1,965
1980	954
1981	2,353
1982	732
1983	484
1984	748
1985	622
1986	1,077
1987	659
1988	400
1989	1,026
1990	1,370
1991	771
1992	593
1993	2,102
1994	705
1995	1,387
1996	1,115
1997	841
1998	2,204
1999	697
2000	870
2001	712
2002	863
2003	1,151
2004	880
2005	538
2006	1,621
2007	1,177
2008	1,155
2009	765
2010	1,544
2011	1,615
2012	444
2013	312
2014	832
2015	1,209
2016	842
2017	864
2018	509
2019	1,177
2020	1,047
2021	2,052
2022	1,116
2023	1,581
2024	703
2025	617
2026	954

Download the Data

Data for records on 1988-02-17: CSV or JSON. Field meanings are on the data page.

Sources: Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Climatology Network Daily (GHCN-Daily). Records are computed by World Extreme Weather Monitor and are not official NOAA products. (US Government open data (NOAA NCEI)) Made with Natural Earth. Public domain map data. Borders are Natural Earth's de facto depiction. Data as of 2026-10-17 (17 October 2026). Records are computed by this site and are not official.

Data as of 2026-10-16. Last revised 16 October 2026 (2026-10-16).

Margin	Records
0 to 50	292
50 to 100	13
100 to 150	2
150 to 200	2
200 to 250	1
250 to 300	3